Navigating New Horizons

Dublin Startup Weekend

Dublin Startup Weekend is taking place across the weekend of the 25th of February at the Digital Hub in Dublin. The organisers Sean Murphy and Amy Neale were so “blown away with what people were able to achieve over the weekend” at the last Dublin Startup Weekend held in May 2010 that they have decided to run it again.

We spoke to Amy, who is a Program Manager at NDRC which is s an enterprise focused on translating research output into commercial products, about what will be happening this year.

How did the idea for Dublin Startup Weekend come about?

“It came about through myself and Sean having a discussion about the need to do something in Ireland that emulates the type of things that happen in the States. We are both very interested in startups and the genesis of ideas and how they form. Also, all the different skillsets and how they come together. We were interested in bringing those skillsets together at the very earliest stage.

“We had both heard of Startup Weekends taking place in the States and thought it was just a fantastic way of kick starting ideas and getting them off the ground. We got in touch with the guys in the US and they were interested in doing something in Dublin so we worked with them last May at the first Dublin Startup Weekend.

“Sixty people came along on the Friday night. The came from a really diverse set of backgrounds. As you might imagine there were a bunch of software developers but we also had designers and people who were interested in startups in general coming along. Over the course of that weekend six teams formed and they worked like crazy and did a show and tell on Sunday evening.”

Who can come?

“It is open to everybody. But when people purchase tickets they will need to state on the website whether they are technical or marketing or design. That is so we have a good idea of the mix and we can better target publicity as we start selling tickets over time.

“It is important to stress that it is completely not for profit. We are doing it for the community but we need to cover the costs of everyone’s food over the weekend. That’s what people’s tickets costs go towards.”

What can people expect to happen?

“What tends to happen is that about 20- 30% of the participants will come along with a strong idea of what they want to build over the weekend. The rest are coming along with their skill sets looking to join in with a team. There will be access to wireless, whiteboards, markers, workbenches and various other materials that are needed to get going.

“It is a really good way to meet people with skill sets other than your own. That is the fundamental reason people should attend. Plus the experience with the facilitators (soon to be announced) over the weekend means you stand a really good chance of being able to build something over the weekend. This is the chance for the participants to see if an idea can get off the ground over the course of fifty-four hours.”

The Dublin Startup Weekend takes place from the 25th to the 27th of February at the Digital Hub. You can register and buy tickets by visiting the Dublin Startup Weekend website.

There is also a Facebook Page where you can let people know you are attending and share related posts and links.